Kadai Mushroom Curry

Ingredients:

Mushrooms 1/2 kg

Onions 3 small

Tomatoes 2 large puréed

Garlic cloves 3

Ginger 1/2 inch piece

Green chilli 1

Fennel seeds 1/2 sp

Curry leaves few

Capsicum 1 diced

Kashmiri red chilli powder 1.5 sp

Coriander powder 1 sp

Cumin powder 1/2 sp

Turmeric powder 1/2 sp

Garam masala powder 1/4 sp

Katsuri methi leaves crushed 1 sp

Lemon juice 2 sp

Almond powder/cashew nut paste 1 sp (optional)
Salt to taste

Oil 1 sp

Butter/ghee 1 sp

Method:

1. Make a paste of onions, ginger, garlic cloves, green chilli and keep it aside.

2. Heat oil and ghee in a pan, add fennel seeds and let them splutter and then add curry leaves.

3. Now add the onion paste and cook for 3-4 mins till the raw smell goes.

4. Then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt and cook for 2 mins.

5. Now add the tomato purée and cook for 5 mins.

6. Then add the chopped mushrooms, diced capsicum and mix well and cook for 10 mins.

7. Add lemon juice, Katsura methi crushed, garam masala powder, almond/cashew paste (optional) and 1/2 cup water if required.

8. Cook for another 5-10 mins till the mushrooms are cooked and gravy is of required consistency.

9. Serve hot with any roti or pulao as a side dish.

Gongura Paneer

Ingredients:

Paneer 300 gms

Gongura leaves ( Sorrel leaves) 2 cups packed

Onions 2 large chopped

Garlic cloves 8

Ginger 1 inch piece

Green chillies 2

Cumin seeds 1/2 sp

Turmeric powder 1/2 sp

Ginger garlic paste 1/2 sp

Red chilli powder 2 sp

Coriander powder 2 sp

Cumin powder 1 sp

Garam masala powder 1/2 sp

Salt to taste

Oil 3 sp

Method:

1. Heat 1/2 sp oil in a pan, add paneer cubes, little salt and sauté them for 3 minutes and then immediately add them into a bowl of warm water and keep aside.
2. In the same pan, heat 1 sp oil, add ginger, galic cloves and then add 1 large onion chopped, green chillies and cook till the onions turn slightly brown.

3. Now add gongura leaves and cook till gongura leaves look mushy. Now cool this and make a paste of it.

4. Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add cumin seeds and let them crackle.

5. Now add the remaining onions finely chopped and cook till they get little brown.

6. Now add ginger garlic paste and cook till raw smell goes.

7. Then add turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt and cook for a minute.

8. Now add 1 cup of water and bring it to boil. Then add the gongura paste, mix well and cook for around 5-10 minutes. Add some more water if required.

9. Then add paneer cubes drained from water, add garam masala powder, mix well and cook for 5 more minutes and switch off.

10. This tangy gongura paneer goes well with any roti.

Methi Chicken

Ingredients :

Chicken 700 gms (I used chicken with bones)
Onions 3 large
Tomatoes 3 small blanched and puréed

Fresh Methi leaves 2-2.5 cups fully packed

Cashew nuts 8 soaked in warm water for 30 mins and grinder into smooth paste

Cumin seeds 1/2 sp

Garlic cloves 3

Ginger 1/2 inch piece

Green chillies 2

Red chilli powder 1 sp

Turmeric powder 1/2 sp

Coriander powder 1 sp

Cumin powder 1/2 sp

Garam masala powder 1/2 sp

Salt to taste 

Sugar little pinch

Oil 2.5 sp

For Marination:

Thick yogurt 3/4 cup

Ginger garlic paste 1 sp

Red chilli powder 1 sp

Turmeric powder 1/2 sp

Salt to taste

Lemon juice 1 sp

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients mentioned for marination for half an hour and start with other preparations in the meantime.

2. Wash and chop methi leaves, add some salt and sugar, mix well and keep it aside for 15 mins. This is done to take away the bitterness in methi.

3. Heat 1/2 sp oil in a pan, add onions and fry till they turn slightly brown, cool it and grind it into paste.

4. Heat 1/2 sp oil in the same pan, squeeze all the water out from methi leaves and add methi to the pan. Fry for about 5 mins till they turn crisp and keep it aside.

5. Make a coarse paste of ginger, garlic and green chillies.

6. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan, add cumin seeds and when they splutter, add the ginger, garlic and green chilli paste and fry for a minute.

7. Now add turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and mix well.

8. Now add the onion paste, mix and cook for 2 mins.

9. Then add tomato purée, salt and cook for around 5 mins till the oil oozes out.

10. Now add the marinated chicken and cook for around 10 mins till the chicken is 3/4th cooked.

11. Then add cashew nut paste, garam masala powder, fried methi leaves, mix well, and adjust salt if required. Add 1/2 cup water and add more water to get the desired gravy consistency.

12. Cook for another 5 mins till the chicken is nicely cooked and serve hot with roti or as a side dish for any pulao or biryani.

13. This gravy is finger licking good. Try it out and let me know how it turned out :)

Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients:

Gobi florets 3 cups

Ginger garlic paste 1 sp

Corn flour 1/2 cup

Maida 1/4 cup

Red chilli powder 3 sp

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

For tempering:

Oil 1 sp

Cumin seeds 1/2 sp (optional)

Garlic cloves finely chopped 4

Ginger finely chopped 1/2 inch piece

Onion 1 small finely chopped

Green chillies 2

Capsicum 1 small chopped

Soya sauce 3 sp

Red chilli sauce 2 sp

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Boil some water in a bowl by adding some salt and when water is boiling, add the cauliflower florets and cook for 5 mins. Gobi should be firm and cooked 90% and should have little crunch.

2. Now drain the Gobi in a colander and put it under running water so that they won't cook any further.

3. Now mix all remaing ingredients except oil and make a thick paste by adding little water.

4. Then add the Gobi florets to this paste and mix well.

5. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the Gobi florets in medium flame till they get nice red colour and then take them onto a kitchen towel.

6. Now heat 1 sp oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and when they splutter, add chopped garlic and ginger  and then add onions and cook for a minute.

7. Then add green chillies, capsicum and fry for a minute.

8. Now add soya sauce, red chilli sauce and cook for a minute. Add salt if required.

9. Now add the Gobi florets, spring onions and toss well and serve hot.

Simple Chicken Pulao

Ingredients:

Chicken 1/2 kg

Rice 2 cups soaked for 20 mins

Onions 2 large finely sliced

Tomatoes 2 medium chopped

Coriander leaves 2 sp chopped

Mint leaves 2 sp chopped

Ginger garlic paste 1 sp

Cumin seeds 1/2 sp

Green chilli 1

Turmeric powder 1/2 sp

Oil 1.5 sp

Ghee 1.5 sp

Thick Coconut milk 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Whole spices:

Cinnamon stick 1/2 inch

Cloves 2

Star anise 1

Black Cardamom 1

Green Cardamom 3

Bay leaves 2

For Marination:

Thick yogurt 1/2 cup

Red chilli powder 1 sp

Turmeric powder 1/2 sp

Ginger garlic paste 1/2 sp

Green chillies slit 2

Coriander leaves chopped 1 sp

Mint leaves chopped 1 sp

Lemon juice 1 sp

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Marinate chicken with all the ingredients listed for marination and keep it aside and start preparing the other stuff while the chicken is marinating.

2. Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker, add cumin seeds and when they crackle, add whole spices, then add onions and fry till they turn slightly brown.

3. Now add ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell goes.

4. Now add turmeric powder, green chillies, coriander and mint leaves and fry for a minute.

5. Then add tomatoes and cook for few minutes till they get mushy and add salt.

6. Now add the marinated chicken and cook for around 10 mins on medium flame till the chicken is almost cooked.

7. Then add the coconut milk and 2.5 cups water and bring it to boil.

8. Now add the drained rice, adjust salt if required and cook for 4 whistles or according to your rice.

9. Don't open the pressure cooker immediately. Let it settle for 10 mins.

10. Now open it, fluf it with a fork and serve hot with any raitha of your choice.

Corn Dosa (Sweet Corn Dosa)

Ingredients:

Sweet corn 1 cob
Cumin seeds 1/2 sp+1/2 sp
Red chilli 1
Ginger 1/2 inch piece
Besan flour 4 sp
Corianderr leaves finely chopped  2 sp
Curry leaves 1 sp finely chopped
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Grind sweet corn kernels by adding 1/2 so cumin seeds, red chilli, ginger by adding sufficient water. Add the besan flour to the mixer at the end and grind one more time so that it gets mixed well with the corn batter without forming any lumps.
2. Now add the remaining cumin seeds, coriander leaves, curry leaves, salt and add enough water to make it like dosa batter.
3. Heat little oil on a non stick pan, and spread corn batter as dosa.
4. Sprinkle some oil and the chopped onions on top and press slightly on the onions with the ladle so that the onions will stick to the batter when it is turned to the other side.
5. Now turn the dosa to the other side and cook well. If the dosa batter is sticking to the pan, you can add few spoons of maida flour and mix well without any lumps and make the dosa and it won't stick and break this way.
6. Serve the yummy corn dosas with any chutney of your choice. We had it with 
Red Radish Chutney

Red Radish Chutney

Ingredients:

Red Radish 10 chopped

Onion 1 small chopped

Garlic cloves 8

Red chilli 1

Tamarind paste 1 sp

Jaggery 1/4th sp

Salt to taste

For tempering:

Oil 1 sp

Mustard seeds 1/2 sp

Curry leaves few

Hing small pinch

Method:

1. Grind all the ingredients except those mentioned for tempering into smooth paste.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and when they crackle, add curry leaves and hing and cook for few seconds.

3. Now add the radish paste and cook for about 10 mins till the raw smell of the paste goes.

4. This goes well with any dosa or idli.

Corn Tikki

Ingredients:

Corn kernels 1 cup ( I have used kernels from 1 big corn, you can also use frozen)

Chana dal 1/2 cup soaked in water for 1 hour

Potatoes 3 small

Onion 1 small

Corinder leaves 2 sp finely chopped

Curry leaves 1 sp finely chopped

Cumin seeds 1 sp

Green chilli 1

Oil for deep frying or you can shallow fry them on tawa as well

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Keep a fistful of corn kernels aside and coarsest grind the remaining corn by adding chana dal, green chilli, cumin seeds and salt.

2. Boil and peel potatoes and mash them.

3. Add the corn kernels kept aside, mashed potatoes, onions, coriander leaves, curry leaves to this ground mixture and mix well. Adjust salt if required.

4. Take small dumplings of this paste and press it between your palms and make into tiki shape.

5. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry (or shallow fry on tawa) the tikkis on medium heat till golden brown colour.

6. Serve hot with any ketch up or sauce.

Vegetable Pasta

Ingredients:

Fusilli Pasta 2 cups
Mixed vegetables 2 cups (I have taken baby corn, mushroom, broccoli, French beans, Cauliflower, Green Peas. You can add any vegetables of your choice)
Paneer cubed 50 gms(optional)
Tomatoes 2 large, 1 small
Onion one small thinly sliced
Garlic cloves 3
Dried Oregano 1 sp
Sweet chilli sauce 1 sp (I have used Maggi brand)
Red chilli sauce 1 sp
Red chilli powder 1 sp
Olive oil 2.5 sp
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Boil water in a bowl by adding salt and then add the fusilli pasta and cook as per the instructions on the packet and then drain and keep it aside.
2. Heat 1/2 sp olive oil in pan, then add paneer cubes and sauté for 2 mins by adding little salt, then add them to a bowl of cold water and keep aside.
3. Heat another 1 sp olive oil in the same pan, add mixed vegetables and sauté till they are 90 percent cooked by adding little salt. Keep the vegetables aside.
4. Make a purée of 2 large tomatoes by blanching them in hot water or you can directly grind them as well, which I did here.
5. In the same pan, heat remaining olive oil, then add finely sliced onions and cook till they get light brown.
6. Add crushed or finely chopped garlic cloves and cook for a min till the nice aroma comes.
7. Add the dried oregano powder and mix well.
8. Now chop 1 small tomato and add to the pan and cook for 2 mins.
9. Then add the tomato purée, sweet chilli sauce and the red chilli sauce and cook for 3-4 mins till it starts boiling. You can also add tomato ketch up instead of sweet chilli sauce if you like the pasta to be little sweeter, but I like it to be spicy and mildly sweetish.
10. Add red chilli powder and salt and mix well.
11. Now add the boiled pasta and mix well so that the sauces nicely cost the pasta.
12. Then add the drained paneer cubes, mixed vegetables and toss well. 
13. Adjust salt if required and serve hot.

Egg Bonda (Egg Bajji)

Ingredients:

Eggs boiled and peeled 4
Besan flour 1 cup
Baking soda small pinch
Red chilli powder 1 sp
Ajwain seeds 1 sp
Cumin seeds 1/2 sp
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Cut boiled and peeled eggs into halves.
2. Mix all the ingredients except eggs and oil by adding sufficient water to prepare the batter. The consistency should be like that of idli batter.
3. Heat the oil in a pan for deep frying.
4. Dip eggs in the batter and make sue the egg is nicely coated with the batter and fry in the oil on medium flame.
5. Serve hot with any sauce or green chutney.